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What were you excited to share with your kids but they hated?


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So my kindergartners use Adventures in America and memorize the states and capitals. As one of our early lessons we watch the Animaniacs States and Capitals song/video with them and they have always gotten a kick out of it. Until today. Today my cute, sweet, smart kindergartner looked me straight in the eye after watching it and pronounced it "weird and dumb". I swear my heart broke a little. I quickly shut the tab where I had gone ahead and opened the Countries of the World song as well and decided we were done with geography for the day.

 

So my question is what is something you were excited to share with your kids that they happily to let you know was ridiculous? I need funny stories to sooth my aching heart. 

Edited by KaceeM
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Schoolhouse Rock!  I turned it on when DS10 was learning his multiplication tables and he just looked at me like I was nuts.  Two years later, and still struggling, I turned them back on.  He doesn't think they're so dumb now.  

 

Side note: The Animaniacs were weird and dumb, but I still love them.  Plus, I get to say, "Hellllllloooooo, NURSE!" to my hubby.  

 

"So, what are we going to do tonight?"

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All books. For a long time, the both of them told me, "We hate reading!" with giddy glee. I swear, I died a little inside every time they said it. Books are practially my life. I worry that I read too much, if such a thing is possible.

 

My ds14 has stopped saying he hates reading and says, "Oh, I like reading," but he only reads about 3 books a year on his own--and often he'll read 2 books and then re-read one as the third. The others I have to assign. He's happy enough reading them, but doesn't even think to pick books up without prompting. I honestly thought that by this time, he'd be a voracious reader like I was. I was so sure of. I still can barely believe that he only reads a few books a year. I can read 2 or 3 books a week. I read a couple hundred a year.

 

My ds11 still maintains that he hates reading. He's reading the Harry Potter books now, but only because I assigned them and he sets a timer to be sure he doesn't go a second past the 30 minutes a day I've assigned. Sigh. He says he likes them, but still hates the actual act of reading.

 

Now...I have to admit I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad about what happened today, but I'll tell you the story:

 

Over the years, I've collected a few hundred children's books for the boys. Obviously, I collected them before I knew how horribly wrong it would all turn out.

 

The other day, a person in my homeschool email group was looking for a set of books. I have that set--in pristine, never been read condition, with the author's signature on them. I remember standing at a convention about 7 years ago wondering if I should pony up the $40 for the books, and I was Just So Sure that my kids would love to read that I did. I was thrilled to get the signature on each book. I pictured the kids delving into these stories and loving them.

 

Nope.

 

So, when the email person asked if anyone had the books I told her, "Yup. Pristine condition. Author signature. You can have them for free." I gave a little sigh and told my oldest, "I remember the day I got these books for you guys. I was so sure you'd love them. Well, at least this other kid will enjoy them."

 

And he looked sooo sad. He felt sad, too. He said, "Oh mom. I feel so bad that I never read all these books you bought for us. I wish I had read them back when I had the time." (He works 8 hours a day on school work now and has little free time, even if he wanted to read.)

 

Part of me felt bad for making him feel sad and guilty.

 

And the part of me with the dead bits from them saying, "We hate reading!" ....was just a little bit satisfied.

 

This mom thing is very conflicting.

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Well, not educationally related but...

 

We were SO excited to tell our kids that we were going to St., Louis-on our first big vacation. For a whole week! The zoo, Science Museum, Children's Museum, Cardinals game, the whole bit.

 

When we told them...

 

My oldest started bawling right there at the dinner table. He sobbed that he didn't want to go. Talk about the steam coming out of my ears. Once he calmed down, we figured out why he freaked out. He thought the 6 hour drive sounded like torture. Once I told him all of the fun things we would bring and watch on the drive, he mellowed out. But I'll still never forget that reaction.

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I've been working on family genealogy and working it in to our history/geography studies.

 

A few years ago I was able to trace one side of the family back to the Mayflower.  I thought it was pretty exciting, as did my mom.

 

The kids' reaction:  "So."  

 

:glare:

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Horses. My oldest likes them okay, but she doesn't have the bug like I did. For her it's a take it or leave it. Of the youngest, one is petrified of them and the other would rather ride a four wheeler. 

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Latin past Prima Latina. Well, I'm not sure my oldest hated Latina Christiana I, but she didn't want to continue to the next level. It wasn't a hill to die on for me (this year, at least), so I let her decide. She'd rather focus on French. That said, all three girls do seem to enjoy studying word roots. We're using English from the Roots Up 1, only the cards.

 

Yard work. I used to enjoy doing yard work, until I tried to get my children to join me. Out of the three, one hates yard work (bugs, sweat, dirt, oh my!), one will tolerate it, and another is my willing helper at all times and in any weather. Rather than fight it, I tend to simply assign lots of other onerous chores to those who will not happily help in the yard. If you don't want to rake and pull weeds, out in the sunshine and fresh air, that's okay. There are several tubs and toilets to clean. :nopity:

Edited by Sahamamama
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A Wrinkle in Time. I'm still not over it.  :crying:  The fact that they are currently adoring the Austin books as read alouds is softening the blow. Like, at least I'll get to share A Ring of Endless Light with them instead.

 

In terms of curricula... we've never had a love and hate... there have been things I loved that they were just meh about, like using Builders of the Old World for history or doing MEP Math. And things they were really into that I was meh about, like some of the Prufrock logic books. And things I thought would work but didn't just love, but they hated, like some of the Ed Zaccaro books or MCT.

 

 

Edited by Farrar
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A Wrinkle in Time. I'm still not over it.  :crying:  The fact that they are currently adoring the Austin books as read alouds is softening the blow. Like, at least I'll get to share A Ring of Endless Light with them instead.

Haha, we're not churchgoing people, so when my older daughter heard the expression, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" on the radio, she said, "Are they talking about A Wrinkle in Time?"

 

Still, though, she said "Meh" to "King of the Wind" and my heart broke a little ...plus I didn't realize before that incident that people REALLY ever said "Meh."

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My disappointment came early, even before homeschooling: coloring books.

 

I adored coloring with my sister and friends when I was growing up, and we went through a box a year of the 64 Crayolas. I was SOOO excited to start coloring with my sons when they were pre-school age. I even got construction truck and dinosaur coloring books, thinking that would be of interest to DSs, -- even though it wouldn't be the princess dresses and cute little animals *I* was used to coloring as a kid. ;)

 

Five minutes into coloring, I look up and discover I'm the only still coloring -- boys have run off to play. And the only thing colored was my lone page, plus DS#2 colored the eyes on every T-Rex in the entire coloring book red. End of DSs' first career and my second career in coloring.

Edited by Lori D.
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Ancient history :( DS7 is totally and completely uninterested and completely zones out. I've tried a couple different program (okay, more than a couple). I'm about to pitch it all and just do a prehistory unit study (because he does LOVE prehistory). For whatever reason, mythology and mummies do not interest him at all, which makes me sad :(

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A Wrinkle in Time. I'm still not over it.  :crying: 

 

This book is like that, though. I remember reading it in my tweens, and just not "getting it." Then in college, I had a professor who adored (like, practically worshiped) C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Madeleine L'Engle. She taught a course in their literature, but my schedule always seemed to conflict with it, so I never had that course. But I had her for other courses, and we used to chat after class. Anyway, she talked me into reading all their books again. For some reason, in my twenties, I liked the books better than I had in my tweens or teens.

 

And they stuck with me, in ways that many other books did not. In particular, I came back to LotR when I was going through cancer treatment, C.S. Lewis while raising young children, and will probably come back around to L'Engle in my fifties. Give your boys some time. They may surprise you! :)

 

Can you believe it? I hated The Hobbit when I was eleven. "Stupid book," I said. Silly me. :blushing:

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Pippi Longstocking!  I was so excited to read it to my kids and they patiently sat through it, but they laughed at nothing and were less than thrilled when I shared with them that there were more books in the series.  :crying:   If they don't share my love of Shakespeare, my heart will never recover.  :(

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I though history for a while but they have come round providing they don't have to "do stuff".

 

Same here.  I was (and am still) fascinated with history, and I find it difficult to understand how anyone could not love it.  I have one kid who shares my interest, one who likes some periods/aspects but not others, and one who is not drawn to it at all, so I have to work very hard to engage him (it was building the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Minecraft that finally convinced him history isn't actually torture ;) )

 

 

 

Also, not really educational, but I was so excited about introducing the eldest to Star Trek, and he's just MEH about it.  I'm eagerly awaiting introducing it to Ms. 8 when she's a little older, as she is a real Mini-Me and I'm almost sure she will love it.

Edited by IsabelC
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Yes, history. When I read TWTM I was all like "History every day! Lots of history! Lots of reading! Do stuff! Awesome!"

 

But no. No no no.

 

My kid prefers reading UEWH, and no extras, ever. He thinks reading myths and epics are okay (extra points if they involve war or giants or something) so we do that too. But compared to the "WTM way" we do almost no history.

 

Maybe when he's older we can study "real" history together a bit.

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Not much, actually - we lucked out in that what I like, they tend to like!

 

Admittedly, they may think my all-consuming interest in current events is "weird and boring" - but that's what I expected. That's what I thought about my father's similar interest in that subject* was when I was their age! (Older kiddo may be growing out of it, though. She voluntarily watched the entire debate and then ranted about it for an hour with her friends. I noped my way out of that and went to watch iZombie instead, lol!)

 

* Seriously, I did not get his fascination. Now that I'm an adult, I really, really wish he was around to talk to sometimes.

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Oh gosh. Where do I start? Let's just say that the majority of what I, a female, liked growing up, did NOT go over well in a house full of six boys.

Yes. This.  My boys appreciate nothing. There are a few things, but it's more of a passing interest. 

 

So far my Luna is WAY more fun than her brothers. She totally gets me. We do our nails and hair, and play with dolls, and dress up fancy. 

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